Having survived its big growth spurt - with more than 750 wineries, up from 163 in 2000 - Washington state has settled into a more mature role these days.

Its benchmark wineries are in fine form after a brush with critic-induced style overload a few years ago. As a visit there this spring affirmed, new up-and-comers have arrived (although it might be a while before those of us in California are conversant; we're a hard market to break).

Of course, a brilliantly successful gaggle of big players have established their dominance on supermarket shelves - although it's an open question whether a hit label like Chateau Ste. Michelle or House Wine is associated with its home state so much as a reliable glassful.

This last point lingered on my mind as I headed into our tasting of a broad cross-section of Washington reds from the 2009 and 2010 vintages: Cabernet-based wines and Bordeaux-inspired blends, plus those New World mash-ups that toss Syrah or whatever into the mix. As vintages go, we had one hot (2009) and one cooler (2010), and plenty to like in both.

What brought a smile to my face is how good things have gotten not only at the top end, but among some of the ambitious little guys. In a flight of more than 40 wines, we encountered bottle after bottle that had a combo too often sadly elusive in California: an immediate sense of pleasure and the potential to grow and mature with age.

In part that seems to come from a word that kept repeating itself in my notes: freshness. Washington's insistence on that attribute, perhaps because the northern temperatures tend to plummet as harvest approaches, have become its best asset.

Where the trouble arrived was in some of those well-known names - and not just in their value-priced bottles. Not everyone, mind you; Covey Run's current basic Cabernet reminds me of that label's early heyday. But too often I detected something cynical at work in the cellar: oak that's more flashy than classy, too many confected flavors, much sugar left in the wine. All are signs of appealing to a customer who wants a nonconfrontational drink.

That's a reasonable goal at $10. But, at $35?

I won't say it can't succeed. But it's grim to see such pandering. And at that level, wine isn't just a reliable supermarket pick; it's meant to represent its origins. Our neighbor up north might want to be careful that it's not trading its reputation for a fast path to the consumer's wallet.

It is also time to keep an eye on some new talents. In the lineup here, you'll find entries from labels like Scarborough and Cor. To those I'd add a handful of other newbies discovered during my spring tastings there: Memaloose, Gifford Hirlinger, Jones of Washington.

They're helping contribute to a sense that Washington feels right-sized right now, delivering wines that are appropriate for their cost. A $70 Merlot with pedigree, a $9 outperforming value Cab, and a lot of $30 bottles that are great now and will be even better with some cellar time - all can coexist happily, a sign of a wine industry that's both ambitious and flexible.

That's the Washington I remember from my years living in Seattle, drinking plenty of the local product. There was a bottle for every wallet, and a lot of pride without an overdose of ambition.

The state seems to have returned to that happy place. Just one note of caution for its new guys: Don't get swept up in the overkill that seems to have hobbled some longtime players.

2009 Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($50, 14.2% alcohol): Bottles like this are a reminder as to how important master sommelier Greg Harrington has become in the Washington wine community. Tapping fruit predominantly from the Phinny Hill site in the western Horse Heaven Hills, he devised a blend (with some Franc and Merlot) that absolutely brims with a gravelly mineral presence, plus coriander seed and seasoned tobacco aspects that bring a classic definition to fresh, brambly fruit. A pitch-perfect example of Washington's abilities.

2009 Scarborough Wines Royale Columbia Valley Red ($30, 14.3%): Napa native Travis Scarborough is now solo at his Tukwila winery, and his Merlot-rich Royale is one of the best Washington blends to appear in a while - the sort of wine that redeems your faith in Merlot, with its heady tea, jasmine and bayberry accents. Perfect for a weeknight, the 2009 Scarborough The Rebel Columbia Valley Red ($15, 14.2%) is full of lavender and raspberry, a snapshot of Washington's freshness.

2009 Andrew Will Two Blondes Columbia Valley Red ($55, 14.5%): No one ever accused Chris Camarda of being happy-go-lucky, and this latest mix of Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon plus Merlot from his western Yakima Valley vineyard is profound but a bit unruly right now. The roasted padron pepper and floral aspects will settle out with some bottle age, and the mineral-tinged tannins are going to reward those patient enough to cellar it.

2010 Leonetti Cellar Walla Walla Valley Merlot ($70, 14.3%): Walla Walla's premier wine family is in better form than ever with their wines. The Merlot is a portrait of Washington's possibility: heady, dense, scented like good oolong tea and savory wood. Deftly tannic, with enough structure to match the dense fruit flavors. Few people take Merlot more seriously than Leonetti, and it shows.

2009 Betz Family Clos de Betz Columbia Valley Red ($52, 14.6%): Bob Betz is similarly a master of Washington Merlot, and the latest release of his latest Merlot-focused blend is further proof. That grape shows itself with sappy, resinous fruit, matched by perfume and a brushy manzanita-like scent. Merlot with structure? It's getting help from Cabernet and Petit Verdot, but this is Merlot in its most studious guise.

2009 Covey Run Quail Series Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($9, 13.5%): Now owned by the Ascentia holding group, this longtime Washington value name is back in stride under the guidance of winemaker Kate Michaud. It's a legit Cabernet, with a proper leafy aspect to its chewy black currant and olive flavors that show an impressive amount of wine for the money.

2009 Cor Cellars Momentum Horse Heaven Hills Red ($18, 14.6%): Young winemaker Luke Bradford branched out from assistant winemaking jobs to establish his own label in the Columbia Gorge town of Lyle, near Hood River, Ore. This mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec is a bit young and tangy, but the mace spice and bright cherry fruit emerges as it settles in the glass.

2009 Col Solare Shining Hill Columbia Valley Red ($45, 14.5%): From the partnership between Piero Antinori and Chateau Ste. Michelle comes this earlier-drinking second label. It finds a balance between stylishness and a wild, fecund nature, with musk and loam that bring curiosity to the deeply extracted cherry flavors and a forward mix of French and American oak.

2010 Milbrandt Vineyards Tradition Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($15, 13.5%): The Milbrandt family has turned its Traditions label into a 14,000-case cottage industry, delivering the quality that can be elusive among many of Washington's big labels. Slightly sweet, with vanilla-tinged oak, but the polished black fruit flavors show a black-olive savoriness for balance.